The present invention relates to penetration resistant hand protectors for medical applications. More particularly, the present invention relates to puncture and cut resistant gloves for use by medical personnel.
Medical personnel are commonly placed in contact with a patient's body tissue, blood, and other body fluids. To minimize the risk of communicable disease transmission and introduction of foreign contaminants, protective hand gear is typically used during procedures that involve patient contact. Traditionally, medical personnel have used tight fitting latex gloves that prevent fluid contact between a patient and the hand. Latex gloves are inexpensive, effective for blocking fluid transfer, and widely available.
Proper protective hand gear is particularly critical for surgeons and surgical assistants working on trauma patients, or on patients requiring major reconstructive orthopedic surgery. Such operating environments are often filled with cutting implements, needles, bone fragments, and sharp bone edges, greatly enhancing the possibility of cutting through or puncturing traditional latex surgical gloves.
One method that has been used to reduce the chance of needle puncture is described in Stern et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,626, which relates to a glove having a first discrete layer of flexible material having a pore size smaller than the diameter of a needle. This first layer is formed into a glove having openings in the fingerprint area of the index finger and little finger. A second discrete layer of flexible material, also having a pore size smaller than the diameter of the needle, is permanently attached to selected areas of the first layer. Generally, the selected areas include all of a thumb stall and lateral sides of both an index finger stall and middle finger stall, although col. 4, lines 61-65 disclose protection of all fingers and other hand locations deemed advisable. Although this type of needle-stick protective glove protects against needle-stick puncture of selected areas of a hand, significant protection against cutting lacerations of the hand is not provided.
Joyner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,998, describes a protective surgical hand covering equipped with a hardened mold material situated over selected regions of the hand. The hardened material covers portions of the palm, the knuckles, and the lower knuckles. Thimble-shaped tips formed of the hardened mold material can be placed over the fingers. Surgical latex gloves may be worn either over or under the protective surgical hand covering. Although this protective surgical hand covering protects against cuts to those areas directly covered by a hard mold material, those portions of the hand not covered by the hard mold material are still susceptible to cuts or punctures.
Seid, U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,578, describes a penetration resistant glove consisting of a thin latex of synthetic rubber foundation glove having a front surface overlay of a thin and pliable limp material. The thin, pliable material is composed of tightly interlaced fibers or filaments, typically interwoven high density nylon, that are adhesively attached to the face or palmar surface of the foundation glove. The surface overlay serves to prevent sharp object penetration. A hermetic seal can be formed over the combination foundation glove/pliable overlay by dipping in liquid latex rubber.
Welch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,733, describes a method for making a cut resistant surgical glove 10. The method includes the steps of dipping a mold shell 24 having the configuration of a human hand into a curable liquid 34. The curable liquid 34, when dried, must form a stretchable, air and water impermeable material. Prior to complete curing of the liquid 34, a hand shape layer of flexible armor fiber 18 is disposed on a dorsal side of the mold shell 24. The mold shell 24 is then dipped a second time into the liquid 34 to embed the armor fiber 18. Col. 3, lines 23-32 describe the use of aramid fibers such as Kevlar.RTM., manufactured by E.I. DuPont.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,777,789 and 4,838,017 to Kolmes et al. both describe cut resistant yarns used for manufacture of cut resistant garments. A yarn 10 as disclosed includes a core 12 formed from spun, monofilament, or multifilament fiber. Around the fiber core 12 is wrapped at least one strand of wire 22. The wire 22 is preferably annealed stainless steel wire.
Other protective hand wear is also known. For example, Bettcher Industries, Inc. produces Whizard.RTM. Protective Wear, in which a combination of Spectra.RTM., Kevlar.RTM., and stainless steel yarn is knit to form laceration resistant products. Also, Smith and Nephew, Inc. produces Perry.RTM. Cut-Resistant Gloves, formed from a continuous filament Spectra.RTM. polyolefin fiber. Cut resistant surgical glove liners are manufactured by DePuy-DuPont Orthopaedics under the tradename Repel.RTM.. The Repel.RTM. surgical glove liners are made with Kevlar.RTM. and Lycra.RTM. materials.
The present invention provides a penetration-resistant hand protector for medical applications. The hand protector includes a glove having an exterior and an interior side. The glove is formed to allow a medical practitioner's hand to conformingly fit into contact with the interior side of the glove. The glove has stalls terminating in tip ends to accommodate all four fingers and thumb of a medical practitioner's hand. The glove has a front palm side, a back side, and is formed or woven from a cut-resistant material. A puncture-resistant covering is attached to at least two of the stalls of the four fingers and to the thumb stall.
In a preferred embodiment, the cut resistant yarn is a composite formed from a resilient core and an outer winding of cut resistant fiber. Generally, a continuous piece of cut resistant yarn is formed or woven to form the glove. The yarn may be a single continuous yarn. The puncture resistant covering is attached to the exterior of the glove and extends to cover the tip ends of the stalls of all four fingers as well as the thumb. In some embodiments, the puncture-resistant covering may also extend to cover part or all of the front palm side of the exterior of the glove, including the entire palmer surface. Optionally, the wrist may be covered in addition to covering of the palmer surface. These embodiments are particularly useful for trauma, orthopedic, or other surgical operations involving a substantial chance of puncture, cuts, or lacerations.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art on consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.